Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man  By  cover art

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

By: James Weldon Johnson
Narrated by: Duncan Brownlehe
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.96

Buy for $13.96

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, a 1912 novel by James Weldon Johnson, is a fictional autobiography which was originally published anonymously. It chronicles the intricacies of racial identity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the life of its biracial narrator. The book portrays his journey through America's color lines, from his attendance of a black college in Florida to an elite New York nightclub, from the rural South to the suburbs of the Northeast, and a visit to Europe. Throughout the work, the author employs places, character, and incidents from his own life, making it a fine example of a "roman à clef." The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man inspired a generation of writers such as Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and Richard Wright.

Public Domain (P)2019 Museum Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Achingly Beautiful

The first thing I love about this book is Duncan Brownlehe's brilliant narration. I started listening to a free version of the same book by another narrator but had to stop because the presumably white narrator botched Black southern speech, cadence, and emotions. There was no way I would spend five hours listening to that deadpan reading. After sampling Brownlehe's version, I decided to buy it. My first advice is to pass on free audiobooks if you could get better-narrated versions.

The story of a light-skinned Black man who decided to pass for white is spectacular, fresh, and relevant. Even though this book inspired Richard Wright and others, I enjoyed it more than his Native Son. The story almost feels like science fiction, even though it is based on thousands of similar light-complected African Americans deciding to cross the color line. The conclusion is heartbreaking when the protagonist realizes he "sold his birthright for a mess of pottage."

I highly recommend this forgotten but seminal gem of the Harlem Renaissance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting Book

Amazing narration!!! Good Story and yes I would recommend this book to others. All in all Good Read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing story and excellent narrator

I highly recommend this book. Though it was written a century ago it reads very modern. The author takes the reader in and the narrator excellently conveys the feelings of the main character.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A thoughtful and provocative examination

James Weldon Johnson grants a distinct and equally valid voice to the experience of many who do not occupy the definable pigment-driven social constructs. There’s a raw honesty that digs beyond the color levels to reveal the nuances to the essence of our humanity or lack thereof.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!